University College Dublin (UCD) has told staff and students that it has no investments in Israel and no bilateral partnerships with Israeli institutions.
In an email to students and staff, it has confirmed that it is involved in eleven EU research projects that also have Israeli partners and said it "fully respect[s] the academic freedom of UCD researchers to continue these research collaborations".
The university was responding to an encampment protest established by its Students' Union on the grounds of the college yesterday evening.
The students made a number of demands of the college, including that it disclose all investments with Israeli companies or institutions and that it call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In an initiative backed by the university's Students’ Union around 50 UCD students pitched tents beside the campus lake and its O'Reilly Hall on last evening.
They hung pro-Palestinian banners and flags around the tents and on a nearby UCD sign.
Responding to the UCD email, in which it said its involvement with Israeli institutions was limited to the eleven EU research programmes, Students’ Union president Martha Ní Riada said much of the information it contained was already known to students and she said the college needed to go further, including recognising Palestine as a state.
The student demands include the cutting of ties with any companies involved in weapon or other military manufacturing, and the removal of Israeli goods and supplier contracts from the campus.
They also want the college to establish scholarships for Palestinian students
In its statement, UCD said that the University was currently supporting 39 displaced students through its Sanctuary Scholarships programme.
However, it did not say if any of these scholarships are held by Palestinian students.
The college said it respected the right of students to engage in peaceful protest.
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Student Éabha Hughes is among a number at the encampment who have end of year exams to sit next week.
The third year History and Politics student has one exam on Wednesday and another on Friday.
"A genocide is a lot more important than exams," she told RTÉ News.
"I can retake my exams, but people are losing their lives," she said.
"The majority of what I study is about genocide and wars and occupations and apartheid, and I don't understand how I can maintain a belief in my educators if they can't even do the bare minimum and call for a ceasefire," she told RTÉ News.
"What is happening in Gaza has galvanised young people," said another protestor, Fionnuala, who did not want to give her surname, "especially after the success of Trinity, we are seeing that direct action can have a tangible impact".
The UCD encampment follows similar action taken by the Students' Union at Trinity College Dublin.
A camp established there just over a week ago ended on Wednesday after TCD made a public commitment to a range of measures including divesting from all investment in companies active in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and on a UN blacklist.
Students at other universities have also been taking action in pursuit of similar demands.
On Friday, students at Maynooth University engaged in a sit-in as part of their campaign to get that university to sever ties with Israeli institutions.
The UCD students said their action was part of a "global student-led initiative advocating for an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people".
"In solidarity with similar movements on campuses worldwide, UCD BDS and the Students' Union view this as a necessary escalation to amplify their voices and demand accountability from college leadership," they said.
The group said the encampment would be "a peaceful expression of empathy and solidarity" and that "no ill will" was intended towards anyone including students, staff or management.
"UCD BDS and the Students' Union are committed to implementing all necessary safety measures and precautions to ensure the well-being of participants and the entire UCD community. This includes full awareness of responsibilities and consideration for ongoing exams, assessments, and campus activities," they said.
"As students and staff within University College Dublin, we will no longer accept the morally inconsistent and continued feigned neutrality of the university in the face of an ongoing genocide," they added.
